Patrick Roberts has reflected on his time at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers.
The nimble winger was brought to the club from Manchester City during Ronny Deila’s tenure initially.
After showing flashes of brilliance in his first six months, he hit the next level after Rodgers’ arrival, and extended his loan for another year after immense clamour from the Hoops support.
His two-and-a-half years in Glasgow began almost a decade ago, but Roberts is still only 28, and now at Birmingham under ex-Parkhead assistant Chris Davies.
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Patrick Roberts on Brendan Rodgers: ‘He was an excellent manager’
Roberts told The Scotsman: “I had signed for Ronny Deila the season beforehand.
“I was there before Brendan came in, and his first game was a Champions League qualifier against Lincoln Red Imps in Gibraltar, and I didn’t play.
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“We played on the Astro, and we lost 1-0. There was uproar. People were fuming.
“The home leg, we came back, and he played me. We won and I scored, and he came over to me and said, ‘you’re not bad, are you?’
“It was his way of saying that he didn’t really know what to think, but once he played me in games he saw I could do well.
“Brendan was great. To hear that was a big plus. I did well the previous year, but when a manager of his pedigree comes in, and he doesn’t really quite know what you’re about, but then he takes to you, you have a manager that believes in you, and young players. It was huge.
“I learnt a great deal from him, he was an excellent manager. Chris Davies was his assistant, and it made it easier to come here.
“We had a connection for ten years, I was young then and he was great with me. You can see how much he has learned as a coach since.
“Brendan and Chris were a great duo.”
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Patrick Roberts’ career since Celtic
Celtic felt like a home for Roberts, who was just 18 when he came to Glasgow. That was the one thing he struggled for in the years after.
He moved to Girona in La Liga the following year, but started just six league games across the season. Unremarkable spells at Norwich, Middlesbrough, Derby and Troyes followed – he was in desperate need of stability.
This came at Sunderland, who he helped climb from League One all the way to the Premier League.
As for Celtic, he was linked with a sensational return in 2021, reportedly entering advanced talks before Ange Postecoglou pulled the plug on the deal.
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